I remember the day I told my dad that I was going to start my own business. I was working as a designer, yet creatively unfulfilled. I wanted to make a difference through design, not only in Chicago, but in the world. At the time, I had no idea how to do it, or frankly, if it could even be done.

Phrases like “design for good” or “social change” were not part of the design vocabulary 20 years ago. But instinctively, that’s what I set out to do when I opened Bark Design: focus on working with organizations and nonprofits that were making a difference in this world.

Fast forward 20 years and I’m reflecting on the amazing people and incredible organizations that we’ve worked with over the years. We’re honored to help them grow and make Chicago, and by extension, the world a little better. We get to tell their stories — their bark – through visual and content design.

We were founded on the belief that design can make a difference, and for 20 years, we’ve delivered the unexpected and the extraordinary for a truly amazing group of organizations and people making an impact.

As I sit writing this, I’m thinking about all the people who have helped Bark become what it is, and I’m smiling. There are clients who have become friends, some of whom we’ve worked with for 15 years or more. We’ve met people who are touched by the organizations and nonprofits we work with and see how they’re changing the futures of their communities and their families.

There is the Bark team, especially Jon and Shaun who became partners this past year, Suzanne for her infinite wisdom, and Caryn, Steve, and Miranda. And, of course, there’s Atticus, Johnny, Guapo, Ikwe and everyone else that has helped Bark howl.

That day, when talking with my dad about my vision, I could not have predicted how much fulfillment I receive from the relationships we’ve formed or the work Bark has done. Every day, we smile and laugh, we feel energized by new challenges, and feel elated when what we do makes a change for our clients. And we get to do all these things and call it work.

We joke around here that we measure time in dog years, so we’re actually celebrating our 140-year anniversary. We feel a fierce loyalty to our clients and all those who trust us with their brands, to tell their stories, and to create their “bark” so the world knows what extraordinary work they’re doing.

I’m incredibly excited for the next phase of Bark, and I hope you will join us on this journey for the next 20 years. Here’s to making it fun, memorable, and exciting.

Here’s to Bark 2.0!

John